Page 22 - NHBRC

Khasiane Mohale’s interest in matters medical has taken
TIP

‘Learn as much about her from conventional jobs to being the safety, health and
the business of business environmental officer for Tswelokgotso Trading
as you can. Accept that
there’s more to it than
just chasing money. It Enterprise, which she and her husband registered in
index
takes a long time to
attain financial 2008, writes SUE GRANT-MARSHALL
stability’

In the beginning
Somehow, from her earliest years, Khasiane Mohale
must have sensed that she might end up working in
a company involved in some sort of construction
because her father was a civil engineer.
“Mind you, my mother was a cattle and maize
farmer in Mohale’s Hoek, Lesotho, where I was born
and brought up. So I guess I could have gone either
way,” says Mohale, who is dressed in a neat black
suit with pearl earrings and necklace when we meet.
Once she had matriculated, her parents moved to
QwaQwa, where her father worked for Murray &
Roberts, and Mohale found herself rewriting matric
at the Moteka Secondary School.
“I wanted to be a doctor, so I needed to get a
South African matric,” says Mohale.
It’s ironic that she ended up choosing to study
environmental health instead and obtained her
BTech in environmental health at Technikon
Witwatersrand.
In the years that followed, she worked as an
environmental health officer in the Kempton Park
and Tembisa municipalities, was a landfill monitor
and a meat inspector.
She then joined an engineering company before
managing safety, health and environmental issues at
two companies contracted to Eskom. They were
involved in high-voltage technology and live wire
power projects.
Mohale was getting closer to her core work.

Getting started
Soon after, she and her husband, Mpho Mohale,
registered Tswelokgotso Trading Enterprise in 2008.
“We got a break at Airports Company SA to do
hygiene audits at OR Tambo.”
opportunity
Shortly thereafter, they obtained a tender for grass
cutting to ensure that no grass grew on the runways.
This was followed by roads maintenance at OR
Tambo “and so our work grew”.
Today they are involved in landscaping, pest FLYING HIGH
control, aerial weed killing and the creation of Khasiane Mohale
firebreaks across Gauteng. PHOTO: ELIZABETH
They maintain built structures, which involves SEJAKE
general road maintenance, road marking, earthworks
and erosion control.
“We have about 70 people working for us, A runway
“We also do industrial electrical contracting,
installing household solar geysers, street lighting
installation and maintenance,” says Mohale.
Water and sewer reticulation is another area in
which the two work.

depending on the number of projects we have at
any one time,” says Mohale.

Hurdles success
Finances! “In the beginning, when my husband
left his job to run our company, I kept working at
my job to help pay our bond.”

Overcoming obstacles
“We applied to the National Empowerment Fund
for a loan, which thankfully came through.
“And then we got an NHBRC project to build EMPOWER YOURSELF
houses in a few Cape Town suburbs after we had How to apply for home builder registration
applied to be on their database.”
Follow these steps to apply for withhold information or to provide associates.This requirement is
registration with the NHBRC: false or misleading information in covered by section 10(5) of the act.
Next step 1. Download the form from the this application. Every director,
“We’ve branched out into other areas now. In NHBRC website (www.nhbrc.org.za). trustee, managing member or Issuing of registration certificate
addition to construction, we’re transporting food 2. Complete it and include your officer of the applicant who The NHBRC will issue a
such as powdered milk, maize and flour from South payment for registration (see fee knowingly permits such a registration certificate to a home
Africa to Kinshasa and Lubumbashi in the structure). contravention is liable, on builder where it has received:
Democratic Republic of Congo. We also have a 3. Return both to the NHBRC. conviction, for a fine of up to . Written acceptance of any
branch of our company in Mozambique,” she says. 4. Contact your nearest customer R25 000 and/or up to a one-year conditions
In addition, the company has a gym and a spa at care centre. prison sentence on each charge. . Any suretyships, indemnities or
OR Tambo airport – at its Phela-Live Wellness Centre guarantees requested, duly signed
– and has just opened a Phela-Live Health Club in Before a home builder is Assurance of confidentiality and completed
Swaziland. registered, the NHBRC may require, The NHBRC and any persons . Payment of the registration fee
as a precondition for registration, contracted by it will treat any
the satisfactory rectification of financial information as confidential. Period of validity
Dreams and goals previous construction-related Guarantees The registration of a home
“We want Tswelokgotso to be a legacy for our problems or a satisfactory Where the NHBRC receives an builder remains valid for a year and
children. The government is not providing enough resolution to financially related application from a home builder is not transferable. Only the
opportunities for entrepreneurs, so we want our problems such as the rescinding of with associates, the NHBRC will registered home builder will use
children to eventually run this company. It means a court judgment. require guarantees from the the certificate and registration
they can create job opportunities for others as well. The NHBRC may require number. No other company, person
“We also want to grow our company to world- additional information from the or other entity will use it to enrol
class status.” home builder or any other person TALK TO US homes or for any other purpose.
and may conduct an investigation
that is considered necessary to Email projects@citypress.co.za, Renewal of registration
NHBRC is important because … assess your application. tweet @City_Press #OppIndex or Every home builder will apply
“It’s helping entrepreneurs like us to have further Warning SMS us on 34263 using the annually for the renewal of his or
education opportunities. I’m not only learning more It is an offence in terms of keyword PROJECTS and tell us her registration with the NHBRC.
entrepreneurial skills, but also how to work more on section 21(1) of the Housing what you are interested in. Please This must be done before the
our business, as opposed to in it due to the NHBRC Consumers Protection Measures include your name. SMSes cost registration’s current renewal
course we are doing at the Gordon Institute of Act for any person to knowingly R1.50 each date.
Business Science,” says Mohale.